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Student: Teacher made me urinate in trash can

Two St. Cloud Middle School students were forced to choose between wetting their pants or urinating in a trash can in a classroom full of students, WESH 2 News Investigates learned.

It happened while the school was on a voluntary lockdown earlier this year.

The teacher in charge was never punished for allowing it to happen, and both the school's principal and the district superintendent refuse to talk about it. One of the victims did speak to WESH 2, and more than a dozen other students gave statements that back up her story.

"It was very embarrassing," the 13-year-old victim said. "Halfway through the lockdown I told him I needed to use the restroom and I told him to call administration to escort me to the bathroom and he said no."

The embarrassing and bizarre bathroom break happened on April 29. According to police officers, the middle school was under a voluntary lockdown after several people reported hearing what they thought were gunshots from a nearby wooded area. Police investigated, but found nothing suspicious.

During the lockdown, the victim told teacher Jason Lefert that she needed to urinate. The student has Type 1 diabetes, which makes her urinate more frequently.

Despite her medical condition, the girl was told she could not leave the classroom and given the choice between urinating in the classroom's trash can or wetting her pants.

The student chose the trash can. Cassie Esposito witnessed the incident and said Lefert told the class to look away as she acted as the student's human shield.

"While she was actually urinating, she said this is probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever done," Esposito said.

As part of the school's investigation, more than a dozen students were required to give written statements describing what they witnessed.

"I felt sick. That is the most disgusting, horrible thing I have ever experienced," one student wrote. "I do not feel safe in his classroom."

Lefert wasn't suspended or even punished. Instead the school's principal sent him a letter simply reminding him to "call the front office" in future lockdowns. School district officials said the policies will not change.

The school did initially contact the Department of Children and Families, but DCF officials said the case didn't meet the criteria for child abuse.

While Lefert refused to talk with WESH 2 News Investigates on the record, he defended himself in an email sent to the school's principal after the incident.

"I felt that the best solution for keeping her safe and also preventing her from being embarrassed was for her to go (to the bathroom) behind my desk," Lefert said in the email. "My primary concern was keeping the kids healthy and out of the halls during the lockdown while preserving them from the embarrassment of wetting themselves. I would want the same done for my future children."

While Lefert was not fired, his contract was not renewed because district officials said that he did not complete a required class and was therefore "not eligible for reappointment."

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